Romney Remarks: `The Dumb Party’

Mitt Romney, as the Republican presidential candidate, arrives on stage at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. Photograph by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

Mitt Romney’s campaign already had suffered from the publication of some words offered in private to supporters — telling fundraisers during his run for president that 47 percent of Americans pay no taxes, are victims of government dependency and politically unreachable.

Now, following his election loss to President Barack Obama, the former governor of Massachusetts has had some further words for some of his donors about how the president won re-election that members of his own party are struggling with. The New York Times, ABC and others found the tape of that 20-minute call yesterday with donors.

“What the president’s campaign did was focus on certain members of his base coalition, give them extraordinary financial gifts from the government and then work very aggressively to turn them out to vote,” Romney said, speaking of Hispanic Americans, African Americans and the young.

For the Hispanic vote, he said, `What the president did is he gave them two things. One, he gave them a big gift on immigration with the Dream Act and amnesty program… Number two, he put in place `Obama-care,’ which is basically $10,000 to a family.”

“I mean, it’s a proven political strategy,” he said, “which is give a bunch of money from the government to a group, and guess what, they’ll vote for you.”

Obama won 71 percent of the Hispanic vote this year, second only to President Bill Clinton’s 72 percent.

Romney’s alienation of Hispanic voters with his tough stance on immigration reform during the Republican primary cost him support, fellow members of his party believe.

“It’s certainly not helpful to tell voters that you think their votes were bought,” Republican Jindal said in response to Romney’s remarks today. “This is completely not helpful. This is not where the Republican Party needs to go.”

“We need to stop being the dumb party,” Jindal said in an appearance on CNN. “Let’s grow this economy. Let’s stop insulting voters.”